Apparatus for clearing beer.



B. R. CURTIS & J. W. HUXLEY. APPARATUS EOE CLEARING BEER. -APPLIGATION FILED JAN.9, 1015.

1 1 30,479 Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0.. PHOTG-LITHO., WASHINGTON. D. C.

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EDG-AR RALPH CURTIS, OF BRIGHTON, AND JAMES WILLIAM HUXLEY, 0F STOGI-ITON,

i NEAR GUILDFORD, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR CLEARING BEER.

Application filed January 9, 1915.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that we, EDGAR RALPH CURTIS and JAMES WILLIAM HUXLEY, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing, respectively, at QueX, Davigdor Road, Brighton, Sussex, England, and at Elm Bank, Stoughton, near Guildford, Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Clearing Beer, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to an improved apparatus for clearing beer or other liquids by centrifugal force while under a high pressure to retain the gases therein.

Great difficulty has been experienced in designing a machine capable of separating yeast and impurities from beer since the specific gravity of the yeast or impurities diEers but slightly from that of beer.

It has been found that it is of great importance that the apparatus should be so constructed as not to cause backwash or eddies in the beer, and also that the apparatus should be capable of being thoroughly and quickly cleaned and sterilized.

With these objects in view a centrifugal machine has been designed in which the beer is led near to the periphery of a closed rotating vessel and is caused to flow alternately toward the center and back to the periphery of the rotating vessel past a series of diaphragms, the beer being finally led away through the hollow shaft upon which the rotating vessel is mounted.

In order to be able readily to clean and sterilize the rotating vessel it is made in two separable parts and the support for the bearing at one end of the rotating vessel is so mounted that it can together with one part of the rotating vessel readily be removed away from the other part.

In the drawings which show a centrifugal machine constructed according to this invention Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section partly in elevation of the apparatus.

' Fig. 2 is a section and Fig. 3 a plan of the diaphragm nearest to the inlet. Fig. 4 is a section of the sleeve and diaphragm nearest to the outlet. Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4.

1 is the rotating vessel made in two separable parts secured together by the bolts and nuts 2. The vessel 1 is mounted upon a shaft 3 and revolves in bearings on the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2,' 1915.

serial no. 1,440.

standards 4, 5 mounted upon the bed plate 6. The ends of the shaft 3 revolve in stuffing boxes 7 on the standards 8 also mounted upon the bed plate 6.

9 and 10 are the inlet and outlet pipes respectively. l

A 11 is an electric motor for rotating the vessel 1.

Slidably mounted upon the shaft 3 is a sleeve 12 having diaphragm 13 and vanes 14 fixed to, or formed in one with it.

15 are openings in the diaphragm 13 to allow the passage of the beer. The sleeve 12 is attached tothe vessel 1 by means of the bolts 16. Mounted upon the end of the sleeve 12 is a diaphragm 17 having openings 18 and provided with vanes 19, 20.

21 is a third diaphragm mounted upon the diaphragm 17 and provided withthe open'- ings 22 and vanes 23. Y

The diaphragms 13, 17 andv 21 are all made a sliding `fit in the vessel 1 so as to prevent the passage of the beer eXcept through the ports in them.

24 is a diaphragm held between the halves of the vessel 1 and having a central hole of larger diameter than the diameter of the sleeve 12 to allow of the passage of the beer.

The vanes 19 fit against the vessel 1 and the vanes on the diaphragms 14, 19, 20, 23 lit against the diaphragms 24, 17 and 21 and the periphery of the vessel 1 so as to prevent the leakage of beer past them. The shaft 31 is either plugged or left solid.

In order to be able to clean the interior of the vessel 1 the standard 5 is detachably secured to the bed plate 6 by means of the bolts 28. If these bolts 28 and the bolts 2 are removed the standard 5 andone half of the vessel together with the diaphragms 13, 17, 21 can be slid along the shaft 3 up to the standard 8 and by removing the bolts 16 the diaphragms 13, 17,21 and 24 can be removed from the vessel 1.

In operation the beer under pressure coming in by the inlet pipe 9 passes along the shaft 3 thence by the pipes 26 near to the periphery of the vessel 1 whence it flows through the openings 18 and 22 in the diavessel 1 and finally passing out through the shaft 3 and outlet pipe 10, the yeast impurities being gradually forced by centrifugal action to the periphery so that the outcoming beer is quite clear.

Although the apparatus has been described as suitable for clearing beer it must be understood that the apparatus is suitable for clearing other liquids and the claims are intended to cover the clearing of all liquids which can be treated in this apparatus.

What we claim is l. In a centrifugal machine for clearing liquids a closed rotating vessel in two separable parts, a series of diaphragms rotating with the vessel, openings in the diaphragms alternately near to the axis and the periphery, an inlet and an outlet for the liquid concentric with the axis of rotation of said vessel and means for revolving the vessel.

2. In a centrifugal machine for clearing liquids a closed rotating vessel in two separable parts, a series of diaphragms fitting the interior of said vessel and rotating with it, openings in the diaphragms alternately near to the axis and the periphery of the vessel, an inlet and an outlet for the liquid concentric with the axis of rotation of said vessel, and means for revolving the vessel.

3. In a centrifugal machine for clearing liquids a closed rotating vessel in two separable parts, a series of diaphragms fitting the interior of said vessel and rotating with it, openings in the diaphragms alternately near to the axis and the periphery of the vessel, vanes upon the diaphragms, an inlet' and an outlet for the liquid concentric with the axis of rotation of said vessel, and means for revolving the vessel.

4;. In a centrifugal machine for clearing liquids a closed rotating vessel in two separable parts, a series of diaphragms fitting the interior of said vessel and rotating with it, openings in the diaphragms alternately near to the axis and the periphery of the vessel, an inlet and an outlet for the liquid concentric with the axis of rotation of said vessel, vanes upon the diaphragms fitting against the end of the vessel, the diaphragms, and the inner periphery of the vessel, and means for revolving the vessel.

5. ln a centrifugal machine for clearing liquids a closed rotating vessel in two separable parts, radial pipes leading from the inlet near to the periphery of the vessel, a series of diaphragms fitting the interior of said vessel and rotating with it,'openings in the diaphragms alternately near to the axis and the periphery of the vessel, an inlet and an outlet for the liquid concentric with the axis of rotation of said vessel, vanes upon the diaphragms iitting against the end of the vessel, the diaphragms, and the inner periphery of the vessel, and means for revolving the vessel.

6. lin a centrifugal machine for clearing liquids a closed rotating vessel in two separable parts, radial pipes leading from the inlet near to the periphery of the vessel, a series of diaphragms fitting the interior of said vessel and rotating with it, openings in the diaphragms alternately near to the axis and the periphery of the vessel, an inlet and an outlet for the liquid concentric with the axis of rotation of said vessel, vanes upon the diaphragms fitting against the end of the vessel, the diaphragms, and the inner periphery of the vessel, means for revolving the vessel, bearings for said vessel, and means for removing one of said bearings whereby the two parts of said vessel may be readily separated.

7. ln a centrifugal machine for clearing liquids the combination of a closed rotating vessel formed in two separable parts on the interior of which solid material is deposited in stages, diaphragms carried by the vessel.1 radial vanes carried by the diaphragms and forming compartments in the vessel, a hollow shaft fast with the vessel, radial tubes leading from the shaft near to the periphery of the vessel and rotating therewith, an outlet through the shaft for clear liquid, and means for revolving the vessel.

EDGAR RALPH CURTlS. JAMES WllLLlAM HUXLEY.

Viitnesses:

T. A. BENSON, GEORGE GRovEn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. C. 

